Robyn Langlands

Background

About Robyn Langlands

When I was little, I wanted to be a game ranger, which probably wasn't a surprising choice for a South African kid. However, as I got older I turned my attention towards helping people and instead decided to become a Clinical Psychologist. In 1997, I moved to Aotearoa to study English and Psychology at the University of Otago. But I never lost my love of animals and the environment. After working in mental health research in Melbourne, I moved to Wellington to fulfil my long-held ambition to be a Clinical Psychologist. Since graduating, I have worked in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health team and in private practice. Over the years, I have also volunteered for a number of different charities, including Dunedin Rape Crisis and Wellington Women's Refuge. In 2008, I co-founded Kaibosh Food Rescue in response to an identified need in the community and was the Board Chairperson until 2014. Kaibosh is an award-winning food rescue charity that works to achieve zero food poverty and zero food waste. I am adept at collaborating with people to achieve shared goals and build lasting relationships based on empathic listening, compassion, and integrity. It is important to me that people feel seen and heard, and connected to others. I am also keenly aware of the responsibility we have to protect and restore ecosystems around the world to ensure that all the creatures we share this planet with have the opportunity to recover and thrive. I believe in the power of communities to affect change and I would like to use the skills I have developed through my varied experiences to collaborate with others who are working to challenge inequity and transform unjust systems. Identifying how I can contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation at a systemic level is a specific area of interest for me.